Cutting a wide swath to improve forage quality

摘要

Research and dealer experience demonstrate the advantages of wide swathing tools and techniques. Conventional wisdom leads many haylage producers to believe that the more you manhandle freshly cut hay, the faster it will be ready to chop. But researchers and farmers are finding that haylage will be ready for harvest sooner and preserve more of its nutrients when it's cut and simply laid in a wide swath. Research at Cornell Univ. and the Univ. of Wisconsin shows that by uniformly laying freshly cut hay behind the mower, the plant material is exposed to more sunlight. That encourages faster photosynthesis and translocation from photosynthesis and allows more airflow over the material for faster dry down to reach moisture levels needed for safe haylage harvest.